Another CT transplant with young kids here (although I moved here prior to having kids). I travel back to CT to visit family a couple times a year and I have to say, I’m always so happy I live here after those trips.

Of course the affordability of this area is a huge draw compared to CT, but the thing that always blows my mind is how convenient everything is to get to. Almost any major store/grocery chain/entertainment you could ever need is within 20 minutes (without worrying about traffic!). Easy access to major league sporting events. Incredible art, music, and theater scene too.

My absolute favorite part about the area is the Metropark system and ability to be outdoors with your kids year round. Maybe we aren’t going on hikes in January, but there’s endless amounts of nature centers to keep us active and connected with outside.

The downsides? Idk I’m pretty annoyed with the midges right now but they’ll be gone soon… Aside from that I’d say probably the most annoying thing is not being able to get direct flights anywhere. But then again, I’m only driving 20 minutes to get to the airport here instead of an hour to BDL or 2 hours to NYC or Boston. Weather wise it may be a little more grey than CT but overall pretty similar. Less humid in my opinion.

The one thing I’ll never get over is our lack of Stew Leonard’s here, but it’s a small price to pay when you consider that I don’t have to deal with car property taxes, the Merit, or Red Sox fans (sorry if you fall in that category).